Howdy, I know this is probably an old topic.. I bought an SX Fretless as an entry into the fretless world and upgrading:

http://www.rondomusic.net/sjb62mgfllpb.html

First off, since it's a rosewood board, and I like DR Sunbeams, it's gonna tear up the board. I'd like to give it a few coats of "something" to gloss it up. I know it'll still tear into it then, but that's ok. Any suggestions on an easy home remedy path to this? Any info, or old thread links would be mucho appreciado!

Thanks,
Adam

Epoxy is the standard fretless board coating. Linas has an epoxy tutorial here (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=231434)

Nothing wrong with multiple coats of Poly, actually much easier than epoxy to deal with. I've been doing poly for over 20 years and haven't had to re-do one yet. :)
Dirk

Nothing wrong with multiple coats of Poly, actually much easier than epoxy to deal with. I've been doing poly for over 20 years and haven't had to re-do one yet. :)
Dirk

+1....The Poly seems to hold up pretty well and looks great. I have Ebony boards and I play flatwounds so I don't think the Poly on my next fretless would help me that much though.

George

hate to hijack a thread
what poly do you use?

hate to hijack a thread
what poly do you use?

1+ That was my next question for Dirk :)

Nothing wrong with multiple coats of Poly, actually much easier than epoxy to deal with. I've been doing poly for over 20 years and haven't had to re-do one yet. :)
Dirk

Hi Dirk, what sort of Poly do you usually use? By the way, that's a really cool looking bass you've made! How does it sound?

Thanks!
Adam

Hey Guys,
Thanks for asking and the kind words on my build. I love it and it's my #1 bass for fretted.

I use a Spar Poly. I think the last batch was even minwax brand, great stuff to play with actually, levels pretty well and will gloss great with a bit of buffing.
I will warn you most of my fretless basses have at least 30 coats on them. But each layer dries fairly quick. If I recall I could do about 3 coats a day. ;)

Dirk

Hey Guys,
Thanks for asking and the kind words on my build. I love it and it's my #1 bass for fretted.

I use a Spar Poly. I think the last batch was even minwax brand, great stuff to play with actually, levels pretty well and will gloss great with a bit of buffing.
I will warn you most of my fretless basses have at least 30 coats on them. But each layer dries fairly quick. If I recall I could do about 3 coats a day. ;)

Dirk

Very cool! I'll start researching Spar Poly. Not bad, 3 coats a day for 10 days --- No sweat. Being down in the humidity capital of the USA, and I don't have as much of a controlled environment, I think I'll have to pick and choose the times when i can do my finishing in my garage.

On a humorous note, I'm now motivated to change my name on here to something a little more BoogieNights-Esque. :)

Thanks Dirk! :hyper:

Hey Adam,
No problem man, happy to help. Yes humidity will affect dry times for sure, you'll know when it's dry enough to continue. When you touch it and it leaves no finger print it's time to move on. Don't forget to sand between layers after the first couple. Also if you want it to shine use a buffer and make it shine! :)

And Yankeesfan PM'ed me which Poly I used and my current favorite is:

Minwax Indoor/Outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane Clear Gloss variety.

I only ever use rounds on my fretlesses and this stuff works great, after 30 some odd coats it gets almost as strong as Pedulla Diamondkote. I wish I could find that stuff. :)

Read the directions and heed the warnings. ;)

Good luck,
Dirk

Hey Adam,
No problem man, happy to help. Yes humidity will affect dry times for sure, you'll know when it's dry enough to continue. When you touch it and it leaves no finger print it's time to move on. Don't forget to sand between layers after the first couple. Also if you want it to shine use a buffer and make it shine! :)

And Yankeesfan PM'ed me which Poly I used and my current favorite is:

Minwax Indoor/Outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane Clear Gloss variety.

I only ever use rounds on my fretlesses and this stuff works great, after 30 some odd coats it gets almost as strong as Pedulla Diamondkote. I wish I could find that stuff. :)

Read the directions and heed the warnings. ;)

Good luck,
Dirk

Hey Dirk,

Super! Thanks a bunch for passing on that info from YankeesFan! This is the way I'm going to go, and I'll heed the warnings on the can..

Mind if I ask you another question thru PM regarding a different neck finish I'm going to do, or I'd like to do?

Thanks,
Adam

Hey Adam,
No problem I'm happy to help in any way I can.

Hey PM's are free. :)
Dirk

Hey Adam,
No problem man, happy to help. Yes humidity will affect dry times for sure, you'll know when it's dry enough to continue. When you touch it and it leaves no finger print it's time to move on. Don't forget to sand between layers after the first couple. Also if you want it to shine use a buffer and make it shine! :)

And Yankeesfan PM'ed me which Poly I used and my current favorite is:

Minwax Indoor/Outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane Clear Gloss variety.

I only ever use rounds on my fretlesses and this stuff works great, after 30 some odd coats it gets almost as strong as Pedulla Diamondkote. I wish I could find that stuff. :)

Read the directions and heed the warnings. ;)

Good luck,
Dirk

so to get a nice shiny finish you would sand between the first few layers, apply the rest of the layers, and then buffer it after the last layer?

thanks for all the info!

hey... i've got the same bass, and i just use flats on mine.

they are better IMO anyways and they won't tear up the fingerboard.

hey... i've got the same bass, and i just use flats on mine.

they are better IMO anyways and they won't tear up the fingerboard.

I put my flats back on until I can get this finish done. I like the flats for certain things, but I'm more of a round wound player. I took lessons years ago with Carol Kaye, and she really turned me on to the Flats vibe, but it just wasn't in my blood or something :) Very cool vibe though :bassist:

To answer coolrunner,
The first few coats (which I consider base coats) I did not sand between, just stacked them up to create a thick base. Then after about the 3rd or 4th coating it was sanding every layer or 2. And by the end it's only 000 steel wool, then buffing for the shine.
Good luck,
Dirk

You might like the superglue, or, cyanoacrylate (CA) finish. it takes about 3 hours from start to finish and dries VERY hard. It buffs to a shine with 600 wet and Scratch-Out. I've done it and it is tons more durable than any poly. It is an epoxy. When set, it sands slowly, levels evenly, and wears almost none.

I LOVE IT!

See: Dan Erlewine.
Or run a search.

Woodturners love this stuff!

You might like the superglue, or, cyanoacrylate (CA) finish. it takes about 3 hours from start to finish and dries VERY hard. It buffs to a shine with 600 wet and Scratch-Out. I've done it and it is tons more durable than any poly. It is an epoxy. When set, it sands slowly, levels evenly, and wears almost none.

I LOVE IT!

See: Dan Erlewine.
Or run a search.

Woodturners love this stuff!

Hey T,

Do you suggest a high viscosity one?

I was using some medium viscosity CA on a different project last night (built up a thick coat and it took about 2 1/2 hrs to dry).

Do you have time to share some more specific details like product you used, how thick a coat, how long to wait to sand/buff? What you used to sand/buff (because this is some tuff stuff to sand).

I'm very interested in this :)

Thanks in advance!

Adam

CA was discussed recently in another fingerboard finishing thread, and the consensus was that Dan W had a few too many Nitro fumes floating around his head when he wrote that article.

IME CA is a awful finish to apply and accurately level. I simply refuse to use it again. Take a look in that other thread and you'll see many who share a similar dislike for finishing a fingerboard with CA.

all the best,

R

CA was discussed recently in another fingerboard finishing thread, and the consensus was that Dan W had a few too many Nitro fumes floating around his head when he wrote that article.

IME CA is a awful finish to apply and accurately level. I simply refuse to use it again. Take a look in that other thread and you'll see many who share a similar dislike for finishing a fingerboard with CA.

all the best,

R

Thanks R!

I think I'll try the Dirk Diggler path then: Minwax Indoor/Outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane Clear Gloss variety.

It certainly seems the be less involved than boat epoxy with all that mixing, etc...

Cheers!
Adam

I just did a superglue coating on my fretless(rosewood board, i always use DR stainless hi-beams) and i gotta say it is excellent, i dunno what all the fuss is about. It was fairly easy to apply, not that hard to sand and level and is tough as nails. I'd say give it a try on a piece of scrap or somethin to see if u like it.
-James

I just did a superglue coating on my fretless(rosewood board, i always use DR stainless hi-beams) and i gotta say it is excellent, i dunno what all the fuss is about. It was fairly easy to apply, not that hard to sand and level and is tough as nails. I'd say give it a try on a piece of scrap or somethin to see if u like it.
-James

Hi James..

If you don't mind, I have a few questions... About how much did you apply to the neck?, and how long did you wait to sand it?

Do you remember if it was a high or medium viscosity CA? Or What product did you use?


Thanks,
Adam

i also did the superglue finish myself, mostly following the article from BP mag. it turned out really good, and sounds killer on a stock fender J fretless rosewood fingerboard. i can imagine if one doesn't have some decent "crafts" skills it could turn out less than perfect, tho. took 3-4 hours. used medium glue, used all the various sand paper/micro mesh stuff as directed in the article, i just didn't use the super glue hardener liquid more than once, that stuff seemed to be tricky for me to work with...

15 minutes between coats was usually good for the stuff to dry, getting each coat on quickly was key b/c it starts to set so quick.. not too thick each time, just layer upon layer

The fuss is #1 the fumes, are quite harmful if not in a very well ventilated area
#2, CA can be very brittle, and chip out easy,
#3 it's easy to apply a few coats, but if you want build, it becomes more difficult to get proper leveling the more you build.

I've done a couple CA jobs, not a fan personally, but it's up to you what you like

I prefer Target Polyester based Urethane, but this is not a finish for someone without patience.

All, I got all the materials to start. Quick question if anyone is around this weekend. Can't I proceed and keep the nut on that came with the bass? It's a new bass and I like the height on the set up. If not, I'll go ahead and remove it, buy a new one, etc...

I'm going with the Minwax Urethane that Dirk recommended.

I'll take pics as I go.

Thanks!!!

Adam

re: keeping the nut

how will you completely level your new fingerboard with the nut in place? to do the job correctly IMO you will need to remove the nut. if this is a fretted -> fretless conversion you need to adjust the nut lower anyway.


re: all the hassle

agreed with Musiclogic on the mess factors. the hassle comes when are doing the job professionally in a workflow to add buildup (what the customers expect) I don't know anybody who will shell out the $$$ for a superglue job when they notice that there is no buildup on the fingerboard.

to each their own - if you like it and the job is for you personally, do it. if you plan to charge a customer for the job you better be very upfront about what you are giving them for a finished product

all the best,

R

re: keeping the nut

how will you completely level your new fingerboard with the nut in place? to do the job correctly IMO you will need to remove the nut. if this is a fretted -> fretless conversion you need to adjust the nut lower anyway.


re: all the hassle

agreed with Musiclogic on the mess factors. the hassle comes when are doing the job professionally in a workflow to add buildup (what the customers expect) I don't know anybody who will shell out the $$$ for a superglue job when they notice that there is no buildup on the fingerboard.

to each their own - if you like it and the job is for you personally, do it. if you plan to charge a customer for the job you better be very upfront about what you are giving them for a finished product

all the best,

R

Thanks Rodent!

I'll take that nut off no biggie.

I'm not charging anyone as this is a job for me, but I hear what you're saying. It's a good point. I'm going with the Polyurethane anyway as CA would be a royal pain and has to many pit falls.

Part of all of this is the learning, as one day I'll be self sufficient enough to design and build my own bass :)

Take care, and thanks for your input :)

~ A

To answer coolrunner,
The first few coats (which I consider base coats) I did not sand between, just stacked them up to create a thick base. Then after about the 3rd or 4th coating it was sanding every layer or 2. And by the end it's only 000 steel wool, then buffing for the shine.
Good luck,
Dirk

Dirk,

I took your advice, and went with the Poly. Here are some pictures of the start of the job (started last night to this evening):

1st 3 pictures are after the first coat dried. I'm going slow, one coat a night b/c it's too hot and humid here in FL:

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/1st-Coat-Dry-1.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/1st-Coat-Dry-2.jpg

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/1st-Coat-Dry-3.jpg

The next 4 are after I applied the 2nd coat:

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/2nd-Coat-Applied-1.jpg

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/2nd-Coat-Applied-2.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/2nd-Coat-Applied-3.jpg

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/2nd-Coat-Applied-4.jpg

I'll take some more pictures once the job is done.

Thanks for all your input, and a special thanks to Dirk!

Peace,
Adam

Hey Adam,
Congrats man it's getting there. :) Glad I helped somehow.
It's looking pretty smooth, keep layering it up. Wait until you put the strings to it, you will smile on the first note. LOL
Dirk

Hey Adam,
Congrats man it's getting there. :) Glad I helped somehow.
It's looking pretty smooth, keep layering it up. Wait until you put the strings to it, you will smile on the first note. LOL
Dirk

Hey Dirk,

One odd thing. You can sort of see it in the bottom picture. There was a build up (a little strip about 4-5 inches long), and when I touched it it was gummy, and it basically wiped off easily. This was after a full 8 hours of drying. I'm thinking I'm layering to thickly. Anyway, I took some mineral spirits to start removing it, and start over in those areas. Is this ok to "reduce" some areas start over?

I really don't mind, b/c I've got all the time in the world on this project :)

Thanks!

Adam

You might consider layering it on in 50/50 or 70/30 cut varnish.
It will flow into those crevices and reduce the chance gummy spots.

http://members.cox.net/michael.webb/pics/n%20bass%20002.jpg

This board has about 5 more 50/50 layers to go.

Oh I would suggest sanding if you have odd layers and uneven drying. Steel wool works great, but if something isn't working out you can sand with paper.
I live in Upstate NY so our temps and humidity couldn't be more different. Worse comes to worse maybe leave more dry time, if time is not an issue.

And bassksun that board looks great, what kind of varnish are you mixing with what poly? That is really looking nice, by the way. :)
Cheers,
Dirk

Oh I would suggest sanding if you have odd layers and uneven drying. Steel wool works great, but if something isn't working out you can sand with paper.
I live in Upstate NY so our temps and humidity couldn't be more different. Worse comes to worse maybe leave more dry time, if time is not an issue.

And bassksun that board looks great, what kind of varnish are you mixing with what poly? That is really looking nice, by the way. :)
Cheers,
Dirk

Thanks
60/40 helmsman Spar and minwax poly then 60/40 thinner.
5 coats straight spar then 25 coats of the above mix. 1500 wet sanding between coats.

Your right though. When I get uneven drying i scrape down to solid. Watersand with 220 or 400 and then re coat with a thin coat to level out.

With all that humidity can't you use something like Japan Drier?

Oh I would suggest sanding if you have odd layers and uneven drying. Steel wool works great, but if something isn't working out you can sand with paper.
I live in Upstate NY so our temps and humidity couldn't be more different. Worse comes to worse maybe leave more dry time, if time is not an issue.

And bassksun that board looks great, what kind of varnish are you mixing with what poly? That is really looking nice, by the way. :)
Cheers,
Dirk

Hey Dirk, Since I've got time and only have 2 coats into it, I'll let er dry another day or so, and sand or wool it even, then bring it back up with a light coat in the area. I'll stick with my simple mixture of spar poly.

Yeah, I forgot to mention.. bassksun, that board looks great!!! Is it rosewood or something more exotic?

Thanks guys!
Adam

Hey Adam,
Yeah man let it dry a bit. But also remember that my basses have usually over 30 coats minimum. Maybe you're putting too much on at a time. All just things to consider.

Can you put it somewhere dry like your house, like in the AC? Just a thought, the fumes aren't that poisonous. :)

And next time perhaps I'll play with the mixture like bassksun used.

Cheers,
Dirk

Hey Adam,
Yeah man let it dry a bit. But also remember that my basses have usually over 30 coats minimum. Maybe you're putting too much on at a time. All just things to consider.

Can you put it somewhere dry like your house, like in the AC? Just a thought, the fumes aren't that poisonous. :)

And next time perhaps I'll play with the mixture like bassksun used.

Cheers,
Dirk

Yeah, I think I went bonkers on the 2nd coat. I let it dry in the garage over night but what I can do is let it dry for about 2 hours, then bring it in to my studio closet or if it doesn't smell too bad, somewhere else in the house.

It's really good learning on this cheap bass.

Thanks again,
Adam

Thanks for the kind comments. I can't wait until this bass is done!

Brazilian Rosewood with African Mahogany veneer.

Patience Adam. 30 coats is a lot of teeth grinding.

It's 106 with 5% humidity here so I can put 4 or 5 coats a day. If I were there I'd consider this:
http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi/noframes/read/107617

Thanks for the kind comments. I can't wait until this bass is done!

Brazilian Rosewood with African Mahogany veneer.

Patience Adam. 30 coats is a lot of teeth grinding.

It's 106 with 5% humidity here so I can put 4 or 5 coats a day. If I were there I'd consider this:
http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi/noframes/read/107617


Very nice combinations of wood! I'd love to see more pics of it!

Yeah, I'm Mr. Patience. I'm an amateur for sure, but really like doing things myself. Maybe someday I'll design and build a bass.

That Japan Drier sounds pretty cool, and from my searches, at $5.00 a can it sounds like a no brainer. What percentage of this stuff would you recommend?

Take care,
Adam

I don't intend to crash or hijack your thread, but I have a few questions of my own.
A little while back I played an Eagle 6-string fretless, which had a flat-finish dull-looking composite fretboard. But it played like absolute butter - faster and smoother than anything else I've played so far. Say I'd have a plank of ebony or bloodwood, and would coat that for durability - what would the effect on feel and texture be? Say you'd run your finger across it - would it have a sticky quality to it (like finished maple)?
Further on, does it have an impact on tone?

I am loving the feel of bloodwood.

One quick note on the Spar finish. Spar is basically a diluted Poly you can make your own by mixing Poly with equal parts of double boiled linseed oil and denatured alcohol. That is your base, you can adjust for drying time with subbing some alcohol with japan dryer and thickness of coat with more or less oil or poly to alcohol. I finish a lot of stuff this way it is really easy to control.

Adam- Follow the directions on the can. I like at least 1 hour dry time. Less than that then you might get poor adhesion, cracks and or brush marks.

Roland- I wouldn't coat ebony. I'd oil it. Bloodwood I would coat. Sticky? I dunno. Tone? On any coated board: strong mids on a fretless IME. Uncoated: darker lower tone. Fretted? I dunno.

Adam- Follow the directions on the can. I like at least 1 hour dry time. Less than that then you might get poor adhesion, cracks and or brush marks.

Roland- I wouldn't coat ebony. I'd oil it. Bloodwood I would coat. Sticky? I dunno. Tone? On any coated board: strong mids on a fretless IME. Uncoated: darker lower tone. Fretted? I dunno.

Thanks, will do. I'm goinging to check into that Japan drier.

Hey Roland, no sweat man. I'd ditto that about not coating ebony, and oil it. - Not from an expert builder perspective, because I'm definitely not that - from a player perspective, and tone - but what do I know :)

Peace,
Adam

To answer coolrunner,
The first few coats (which I consider base coats) I did not sand between, just stacked them up to create a thick base. Then after about the 3rd or 4th coating it was sanding every layer or 2. And by the end it's only 000 steel wool, then buffing for the shine.
Good luck,
Dirk

I'll have to do this on my 6 string fretless, flatwounds are just not my thing. I tried them a few times and hate the feel. The bass is still relatively new so I'll take some steel wool to the board then start building it up with spar poly. Thanks for the tips!

Also, do you use gloss, semi gloss or satin?

Gloss.

Thanks for the reply, how would that Minwax rub on poly work? My fretboard is Rosewood. I think Helmsman spar poly is the one to use but I'm curious how the hand rubbed poly would work. With enough coats.

No difference to me. Just takes longer.

Oiling ebony? Does that really help with the durability? Because that's the sole reason I'm asking about it.
I absolutely love the look and feel of ebony, and the look of bloodwood - but I don't want to see any signs of wear anytime soon. Or ever, in fact. :D Dirk's done a pretty good job, according to his testimonials!
That mirror-finish on the fretboard is just an added fresh bonus.

Oiling ebony? Does that really help with the durability? Because that's the sole reason I'm asking about it.
I absolutely love the look and feel of ebony, and the look of bloodwood - but I don't want to see any signs of wear anytime soon. Or ever, in fact. :D Dirk's done a pretty good job, according to his testimonials!
That mirror-finish on the fretboard is just an added fresh bonus.

Oiling ebony? Does that really help with the durability?

Yes. IME And it is B-UTIFUL when oiled. I use regular old Formby's or Old English Furniture Oil then a VERY LIGHT coat of Johnson's Paste Wax. Buff to a Satiny sheen. Slap on D'Addario Chrome FLATS and you are in business.

...and the look of bloodwood

Preserve it by using 30-40 coats of Poly.

Dirk's done a pretty good job, according to his testimonials!

Yep. Seems to know his stuff. :smug:

Thanks for the help everyone - in particular bassksun!
I have a pretty nutty "35 six-string headless fretless design in mind, geared towards metal. :D I'll be using roundwounds on that one, since I really liked the sound of the Eagle 6-string with rounds on.
Now just comes the choice of fretboard-wood. On one hand, ebony is really great as a default wood, but that reddish fretboard which highly resembled bloodwood, which you posted, bassksun, really made me consider bloodwood as well. What's the most durable combo in your opinion to use on a fretless board, using roundwound strings?
Again, I'm a bit thoughtful when it comes to feel. I do not like the feeling of finished maple at all, but I love bare ebony. Got some more input here?
However, like you previously mentioned, the prospect of more mids sounds AWESOME on a fretless. I'm looking for that Jeff Schmidtesque tone from the "Apotheosis"-video on youtube.

Everybody would like to help but...Ummm...I think you're thread jacking homey. Unless Adam thinks its ok.

Everybody would like to help but...Ummm...I think you're thread jacking homey. Unless Adam thinks its ok.

I'm not too Territorial about threads, I would suggest starting a new one b/c it may grow out of original subject. I definitely intend on finishing this thread out with pictures of my completed project. You're welcome to post progress pictures as well :)

Hey Dirk and everyone else,

I'm back on the project :)

For the last 4-5 days the humidity broke, and I started re-applying the Spar Poly. It's looking good to the point that I can really get a picture of success in my eyes.

When sanding in between coats on the way up to 30, what grit shall I wet sand with, or should it be steel wool? I've got a good variety of wet dry sand paper from an auto parts store - 1500, 2000, but some lower stuff like 400-600, and I've got a bag of superfine steel wool.

Thanks again!

Adam

Hey Dirk and everyone else,

I'm back on the project :)

For the last 4-5 days the humidity broke, and I started re-applying the Spar Poly. It's looking good to the point that I can really get a picture of success in my eyes.

When sanding in between coats on the way up to 30, what grit shall I wet sand with, or should it be steel wool? I've got a good variety of wet dry sand paper from an auto parts store - 1500, 2000, but some lower stuff like 400-600, and I've got a bag of superfine steel wool.

Thanks again!

Adam

As a rule I Wetsand 1500 every 3-4 coats. If you got big bumps and lumps 600 or 1000 to level it out. I just HATE steel wool! I can never remove the steel dust well enough and it makes me itch (YMMV). I,d use the 2000 as the very last grit to remove dust nibs etc.

Let it cure.

Welcome back to work. :smug:

As a rule I Wetsand 1500 every 3-4 coats. If you got big bumps and lumps 600 or 1000 to level it out. I just HATE steel wool! I can never remove the steel dust well enough and it makes me itch (YMMV). I,d use the 2000 as the very last grit to remove dust nibs etc.

Let it cure.

Welcome back to work. :smug:

Thanks a bunch Bassksun!

This poly is doing surprisingly, or many not so suprisingly very well as I've been putting very thin coats on it. Some slight areas that gap, but nothing that a little sanding or re-coat wouldn't fix.

Is the goal to make sure in the end I've got a level board? Just a stupid question for Monday :)

I'm going to probably do the full on 30 coats as Dirk does.


Peace,
Adam

Of course you want a level board but just as important is to have your poly coats adhere and be level too. If your coats aren't level then you get "fisheye" when you sand. You don't want that. The scratches left by wetsanding with 1500 takes out most imperfections and fills easily.

Excellent that the project is moving forward, it does take a while.
I just realized I have no pictures of one of my boards online other than at a distance. So here is the proof in the proverbial pudding. No wet sanding for me, but will have to try that on my next one.
And now I realize how hard it is to take a picture of a shiny surface. :)

http://bonzoestewjo.com/BassPix/fretless/IMGA0576.jpg
http://bonzoestewjo.com/BassPix/fretless/IMGA0577.jpg
http://bonzoestewjo.com/BassPix/fretless/IMGA0578.jpg
http://bonzoestewjo.com/BassPix/fretless/IMGA0579.jpg

Dirk

Excellent that the project is moving forward, it does take a while.
I just realized I have no pictures of one of my boards online other than at a distance. So here is the proof in the proverbial pudding. No wet sanding for me, but will have to try that on my next one.
And now I realize how hard it is to take a picture of a shiny surface. :)
Dirk


Hey Dirk! Thanks for the pics! Looks nice! Yeah it is tough taking those gloss pics.... So what sanding do you do inbetween? Are you a steel wool guy?

Thanks!
Adam

That is one smooth board Dirk. Steel Wool?

00 to 000 and a nice ride on the buffer. :)
Dirk

00 to 000 and a nice ride on the buffer. :)
Dirk

Noooooooooo! Steel Wool!!!! :hiding:

Best I can do with the CrappyCam :hmm:

But...this is 1500 wetsand then wetsand 2000 then buffy compound.

http://members.cox.net/michael.webb/pics/Stanley%202%20003.jpg

http://members.cox.net/michael.webb/pics/Stanley%202%20004.jpg

Yes Steel Wool! :) But only near the last few coats, before that I used paper with a sanding block in various grits. First couple heavier and as the coats go along starting to get lighter up to around 800.

And taking good pictures of shiny fingerboards are tough huh?
I thought it was just me having a hard time capturing the shiny.

Hey I like your inlays too, nice. Is that wood in between the 12th and 24th, or are those 2 inlays?
Dirk

Thanks.

yep wood. 2 inlays or 1 inlay cut in 2.

Yep taking pics is hard! Those 2 pics are of the 1500 sanding. 2000 and buff are gonna be really hard.

Thanks.

yep wood. 2 inlays or 1 inlay cut in 2.

Yep taking pics is hard! Those 2 pics are of the 1500 sanding. 2000 and buff are gonna be really hard.


While on the subject of taking these pics, I think the best way would be to have very bright lighting in a room, with no photo flash. Or outside with no flash as well.

I had a few day break from coats, also got advanced notice that my main day gig is ending on 12/31, so I've been a bit pre-occupado... It's all good though :)

Yeah I think proper lighting is the key, in my 1st one that seemed to have shown it the best.

Don't sweat the day gig Adam, I lost mine 6 years ago, never been happier, and more productive building-wise. :)
Then again I'm not exactly living on a Bill Gates budget. LOL
Good luck,
Dirk

Yeah I think proper lighting is the key, in my 1st one that seemed to have shown it the best.

Don't sweat the day gig Adam, I lost mine 6 years ago, never been happier, and more productive building-wise. :)
Then again I'm not exactly living on a Bill Gates budget. LOL
Good luck,
Dirk

Yeah, it's all good. Just sticking around till the end of the year to get that severance/pension.. Nuttin major but enough to wait.

Thanks! ~ Adam

Finally got the bass finished:

The bass-
http://members.cox.net/michael.webb/pics/stanley1_2%20002.jpg

The fretboard:
http://members.cox.net/michael.webb/pics/stanley1_2%20008.jpg

Wetsanding Rules! ;) Behrens buffing compound rules too!!!

Lost my day gig too. Got another part time. So now I have 2 part times with a 4hr break between. How cool is that? I can get 3hrs. of practice/building done.

Finally got the bass finished:

The bass-
http://members.cox.net/michael.webb/pics/stanley1_2%20002.jpg

The fretboard:
http://members.cox.net/michael.webb/pics/stanley1_2%20008.jpg

Wetsanding Rules! ;) Behrens buffing compound rules too!!!

Lost my day gig too. Got another part time. So now I have 2 part times with a 4hr break between. How cool is that? I can get 3hrs. of practice/building done.

That's awesome! Nice neck finish!
I finished up my 1st project, and will throw up some pictures tonight.

Congrats on getting that 2nd pt job!

Peace,
Adam

Lets see it :hyper:

i've tried to get a responce on this before w/ out success... has anyone tried Minwax Wood Hardener on their fretless board?
successful?

i've tried to get a responce on this before w/ out success... has anyone tried Minwax Wood Hardener on their fretless board?
successful?

Not me.. I just used the MinWax Spar Poly. I'm a newbie... :)

Lets see it :hyper:

Your wish is my command :bassist:

While it's not a work of perfection, it certainly does the job for me. I tuned it up for the first time last night and will intonate it tonight. There are some not so great spots of glory (can live with "its").

I did resort to sanding some light sharp points with 2000 grit, and then used this stuff called McGuires PlastiX . Used on Cars typically for buffing plastic. Pretty easy.... Now to bust out the Jaco Vibe :)

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/F1.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/F2.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/F3.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o118/Chinjazz/Fretless%20Neck%20Gloss/F4.jpg

Hey Adam,
Nice job it really looks nice! Are you in mwah heaven or what?
:)
Dirk

Oh yeah...now dat's niice! Now let's hear you do Teen Town. :bassist:

Hey Adam,
Nice job it really looks nice! Are you in mwah heaven or what?
:)
Dirk

Hey Dirk,

Thanks! Thanks for all your direction and ideas too.

I really am in mwah heaven, I must admit! Once I get it dialed in set up wise, I'll have to really get my fretless chops in order :smug:.

I'll have to do some recording and post a sample.

Peace,

Adam

Oh yeah...now dat's niice! Now let's hear you do Teen Town. :bassist:


Thanks! Nahh... I should pick something harder to play....:crying:

i've tried to get a responce on this before w/ out success... has anyone tried Minwax Wood Hardener on their fretless board?
successful?

Wood hardener strengthens the fibers by adding a crystallized polymer, etc. It doesn't transform the wood into something hard enough to be string worthy.